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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771723">Glass Wings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterboxx/pseuds/Winterboxx'>Winterboxx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Glass wings [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Canada's Drag Race RPF, RuPaul's Drag Race RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, a fantasy au that really has too many differant types of creatures, but like also a dragon, kyne and kiara have a baby dragon, kyne is a werewolf kiara is also a fairy, lemon is a pixie and juice is a fairy, rock is an elf and i want you all to know how much i love elf rock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:35:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterboxx/pseuds/Winterboxx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Juice is the leader of the fairies and it falls on her to deal with the issue of a mischievous pixie who won't stop pranking the whole village. Lemon just wants to have some fun, even if that means annoying everyone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(Minor), Kiara/Kyne, Kyne/Kiara, Lemon/Juice Boxx, Lemon/Juice Boxx (Canada's Drag Race RPF), Rock M Sakura/Jan Sport, Tynomi Banks/Priyanka (Canada's Drag Race RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Glass wings [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>it's here, this fic is gonna be my new thing to focus all my attention on and i'm really excited for it, got a lot of ideas and i hope people like it! huge thanks to zyan for betaing and helping me with fantasy stuff, and the name of the fic actually. and thanks to morph for putting up with me talking about this constantly and helping me come up with so many ideas</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Entertainment in a village that didn’t know of your existence was difficult, but Lemon got by. She never harmed anyone, but a few harmless pranks wasn’t a bad thing. At least not from her point of view; though the people of the village seemed to have a different opinion. They wanted her dealt with, as if she was an issue and not just someone trying to entertain herself. It was only a push to mess more frequently with the worst people around. They wouldn’t catch her, anyway, so what was the point? </p>
<p>Today, her target was a familiar one, someone she liked. Kiara was a fairy, so Lemon had to be careful with what she did. The fairies were the only creatures that had the right powers to catch her and hold her accountable for her actions. So she kept her games light, but didn’t ignore them entirely, where would be the fun in that?</p>
<p>Kiara was just trying to gather some apples from one of her trees, but a good amount of them were too high up. Using her wings, even while seemingly alone, was not a good idea. Fairies weren’t supposed to reveal themselves close to the village. She never understood the rule, but Juice was adamant on it, so everyone just abided by it. </p>
<p>The apple problem didn’t seem to last long, a soft giggle caught her attention. There was a slight glow around one of the apples before it fell—</p>
<p>—directly onto her head, then bouncing straight into the basket. </p>
<p>The giggle got louder, the pixie was clearly amused. Kiara attempted to ignore it, hoping she would go away without any reaction. But one by one apples kept falling, always onto her head and then onto the basket. </p>
<p>The basket did end up full, but the laughter ringing in her ears made Kiara want to grab that pixie and drop something on her head 20 times. </p>
<p>Lemon decided to pop into view at that moment, perched on one of the tree branches, laughing harder than she knew possible. The look on Kiara’s face was more than worth it, she had been helpful anyway, maybe not in the nicest way but where would be the fun in that. Kiara didn’t look to see it that way though, flying up to Lemon  and grabbing her quicker than she anticipated. </p>
<p>This was bad. This was very bad. </p>
<p>Lemon teleported as soon as she realised what could happen - although she miscalculated and ended up just behind Kiara, allowing her to get grabbed once more and kept in place with magic. </p>
<p>Kiara noticed the genuine terror in the little pixie’s face; she almost felt bad for her, before remembering the absolute annoyance that she always got put through, as just a part of Lemon’s games. </p>
<p>“I’ve got you now!” </p>
<p>The irony of that, just as Kiara got a hold of lemon again, she put all her energy into teleporting as far as she could. It wasn't important where, only that she got out of there right at that moment.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Lemon’s head was spinning as she entered an unfamiliar place. How far had she managed to teleport? </p>
<p>The first thing she noticed in her new surroundings was the energy, it was strange, something felt off, but she had no idea what. Looking around, it looked like she’d teleported into a bush.</p>
<p>Then she realised, she wasn’t alone. </p>
<p>Dead ahead was an imposing looking fairy, pointing a sword at her. The look in her eyes was enough to send fear rushing through the pixie. She attempted to teleport away but could barely move a few inches from her current position. Clearly that wasn’t the right move, as she soon got held in place with magic, the fairy looking more angry by the second.</p>
<p>“How did you get in here?” Juice felt her anger weaken at the genuine fear on the little pixie’s face. She looked more fearful than anyone had ever been. Maybe the sword wasn’t helping. She watched as the small creature tried to formulate a response, but nothing came out. The eyes of her fellow fairies weren’t helping. A small amount of  stares made Lemon shrink back that much more, wishing for nothing more than to be out of this situation.</p>
<p>“I- I didn’t mean to. I don't know where I am,” Lemon spoke, clearly consumed by nerves and anxiety. Juice could hear it in the way her voice shook. </p>
<p>Juice herself paused, thinking over for a minute before deciding to take the pixie into a more private area. The sword stayed trained on her as they moved. Lemon didn’t dare to say a word, only follow where the fairy told her to go.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to talk to you. Okay? It might be a little less scary if you were in your human form and the same size as me.” </p>
<p>A bright flash was all Juice saw before a human stood before her, looking less scared now, but still avoidant. She didn't say a thing, only watching as the sword was lowered, no longer causing a threat. </p>
<p>“It really was an accident. I teleported away from a fairy, she was really angry at me because I kept messing with her. It was pretty funny though, you should have seen her face,” Lemon rambled, she would have kept going had Juice not given her a strange look. She felt the need to stop the moment they made eye contact.</p>
<p>“It’s you! That prankster everyone keeps asking me to deal with? Of course, of all people, you would accidentally end up in the fairy hideout. It makes too much sense.” Juice shook her head. This was the tricky pixie that had been quoted as a terror on the village? She could barely hold eye contact. </p>
<p>The only response she got was soft, awkward laughter. If she had been avoided before, now Lemon was down right wishing she could sink into the floor. Only she would manage to teleport into the place where someone wanted her caught. </p>
<p>“You're a nuisance, but I’m not going to hurt you, stop looking at me like I will. I can’t let you get away with annoying everyone for the best part of a year, though. Someone needs to keep an eye on you, and put you off messing with people. But if I do catch you doing anything like that, it will get more serious.” Lemon nodded blankly, processing everything she was being told. </p>
<p>“Hang on a second.” Juice paused, leading Lemon to a momentary panic. Had she forgotten to mention something? Was it bad? “I need to know your name, I probably should have introduced myself before pointing a sword at you. I'm Juice.” </p>
<p>Something inside Juice couldn’t get too angry at the pixie, in fact she joked with her, trying to cheer up the scared look on her face. It worked, she giggled at the joke before realising the situation she was still in, although seemingly a little less scared. Something about the softness in her eyes was making Juice not want to be too hard on her, even with her having been the bane of existence for most of the village. </p>
<p>“Lemon. My name is Lemon.” With Juice watching her, Lemon struggled to speak. She couldn’t put a finger on it, maybe it was the sword that she knew was still there but her words got caught in her throat. </p>
<p>“All right then, Lemon, I'm going to have to keep an eye on you for a little while. Try to keep you out of trouble.”</p>
<p>It was hard to tell now, but neither of them knew what an impact this would have in the future. Lemon didn’t know how to feel about a fairy following her around and keeping her in line. Juice wished she would be able to do something else with her time, but the pixie had to be dealt with and this was the easiest way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter 2!! i somehow wrote this and posted it in less than a week since chapter 1 went up and tbh i don't know if i'll keep that pace but it's pretty cool. this chapter is the debut of our favourite dragon so !! </p>
<p>thanks to zyan for betaing </p>
<p>also this chapter was aiming to come out like 2 days ago on my friend's brithday but it got delayed by 2 days, so happy belated brithday morph ily!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Juice was beginning to wonder if this was a mistake - trailing after a hyperactive pixie for a week was going to be more effort than she had in her. Only a day had passed and the exhaustion was settling in. How was she supposed to survive when the living definition of energy was making her fly after her, keeping her in line and out of trouble? It was exhausting.</p>
<p>It was hard enough dealing with the other fairies and leadership responsibilities, sometimes Juice wanted to rip her wings out during meetings; they went on for so long, and she was always expected to be attentive. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, but no one  could stand how boring the meetings were. While Juice appeared like a deer in headlights, Lemon had too much energy. </p>
<p>It wasn’t anything Juice was used to. Most of the fairies lacked any real stamina, let alone enough to fly around for hours, barely getting really tired. Kiara was the only one who could really function solo, apart from Juice and the other people who helped keep the village in order. Juice held the most responsibility, as the current leader. It was exhausting in general, throwing Lemon on top of her jobs was not an easy feat. </p>
<p>Although watching over her ended up sounding a lot better than what was about to happen: a dragon sighting. </p>
<p>The thought of it filled Juice with dread, brandishing her sword in preparation to scare it off. Dragon’s were dangerous by nature, and this one could wreak havoc on the village. She couldn’t afford to deal with two problems, so one had to be dealt with as soon as possible. There was the issue of what would happen with Lemon. She couldn’t leave her, that was an awful idea. But having her with her to deal with a dragon didn’t seem like something one person could deal with.</p>
<p>That was until she realised — Pixie dust. It was decently well known that it had a calming effect on dragons, the exact opposite effect it had on humans or other creatures. Lemon was useful for once, so she brought the girl along.</p>
<p>“So, you have to deal with a dragon but you need me to come along with you? Sounds fun!” Lemon grinned, fluttering slightly ahead of Juice, as she directed them to where the dragon was spotted. </p>
<p>“What part of a big beast that could kill us is fun?” Juice wanted to bang her head into a tree at the excitement the pixie showed. Did she not get the danger a dragon could possess or was she just stupid?</p>
<p>“The part where you need my help.” Lemon glanced at the fairy smugly, something about the confidence that emanated from her infuriated Juice. Though she couldn't put her finger on why. <br/>It reminded her too much of what she wished she could be. What she was expected to be. The freedom she wasn’t allowed, the responsibility of leading a herd of fairies was too much to allow for such things. She couldn’t dare show weakness, not when they needed her to act strong. No one else would, without someone to play the strong, smart and reliable leader, people wouldn’t know what to do. Lemon had it all and didn’t seem to understand that. It was part of the reason Juice was so hesitant about the pixie. But that thought was a distraction from the task at hand, and Juice needed to focus. </p>
<p>Even with the chaotic pixie by her side.</p>
<p>They got there soon enough, Lemon keeping surprisingly quiet. It was a welcomed silence. There was nothing to be seen apart from slightly burnt grass. There were few signs that a dragon had been there, let alone recently. But the possibility loomed over, and Juice knew she had to be thorough. That was when she noticed the foot prints.</p>
<p>Two pairs, one of a dragon but far smaller than any she had seen before. The other pair looked like a fairy or a human. They had to look deeper. </p>
<p>“You know, I feel like there’s something over there,” Lemon piped up, gesturing in front of them, to the only thing around for miles, a lone house. The thing was, Juice knew that house. It was where Kiara lived with her girlfriend Kyne. What would they be doing near a dragon? It was reckless to stay in that area, Juice hoped they would have left by now. But if not she would have to question them before acting to move them. Duty  came before her emotions, no matter how painful it could be.</p>
<p>“I think the dragon is that way, in the house maybe,” she continued, Juice nodded and followed her lead as they went to investigate. </p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>“Oh, hey Juice, what’s-”</p>
<p>“What is she doing here? I almost caught you the other day but you had to escape. Is Juice keeping an eye on you? At least someone finally did something about it.” Before Kyne could finish her greeted, Kiara noticed Lemon hovering next to Juice. </p>
<p>“There was a dragon spotted around here, do you two know anything about it?”</p>
<p>“No? A dragon? What would one even be doing around here,” Kyne spoke, she acted as if she had no clue about what Juice was claiming but something felt off, no matter how convincing Kyne could be. Lemon seemed just as disbelieving, shaking her head slightly, muttering something to Juice about feeling a dragon around there. </p>
<p>“I heard about the sighting but I didn’t see anything over here. Are you sure it was over here?” Kiara directed her question at Juice. She was deflecting, Lemon felt it almost immediately, informing Juice of it with a slight grumble. Somehow Kiara and Kyne didn’t pick up on Lemon’s whispering to Juice, something she was intensely thankful for. </p>
<p>Before anyone could reply, a soft growl came from behind the door. A small black dragon poked its head through Kiara’s legs, blankly staring up at Juice and Lemon.The creature was far too small to be considered a genuine risk, but Juice couldn’t take any chances. No one quite knew how long dragons took to grow up and having a baby today could mean a burnt down village next week. That was the one thing the fairy needed to keep safe. There would be no village to watch over if a dragon was to burn it all down. </p>
<p>“Kiara, Kyne! Do you know how dangerous dragons can be? And you’re keeping one as a pet?” Juice spoke seriously, leaving Kyne and Kiara staring, guilt seeping in at the genuine concern she exhibited. </p>
<p>“We couldn’t leave him. He would die, Juice.” Kyne shook her head, it was a complicated situation, but leaving a baby dragon to die was worse than taking care of one. She would fight for the little creature if it came down to it.</p>
<p>“I feel like that pixie is more dangerous than he would ever be,” Kiara snarled. Her contempt for the small sparkly creature was obvious, given the side glances and downright glare if Lemon tried to speak up. </p>
<p>“Leave her out of this.” </p>
<p>Lemon herself was unphased by Kiara’s reaction, but Juice’s quick defense made her smile. The fairy gave off an air of not liking her or caring but she could see straight through it. Lemon could only hope they would move past it and maybe get along a little better as time went on.</p>
<p>The dragon growled softly, looking up at Lemon before cowering behind Kyne’s legs. What was he afraid of? Before Lemon could question it, Juice poked her, forcibly putting her into her human form. At the noise of complaint she got, the fairy only shrugged and gestured down to the less scared looking dragon. </p>
<p>He was small and black, scales glittering in the sun in a way that made him look like a shiny scaly crystal ball. A soft growl came out as he trundled over to the pixie’s feet. Lemon cooed in adoration, bending down to meet the small reptile closer to eye level. <br/>He paused, sniffing Lemon’s face before nodding to himself, a rough tongue licked her face, another soft growl being let out when her hand stroked his warm, scaly back.</p>
<p>“Aww he isn’t mean and dangerous, he just wants some love.” The softness in Lemon’s voice was hard to not notice. "The dragon seemed happy with/comfortable around her, and that made Kyne relax ever so slightly" Juice wasn’t surprised by what was happening, the pixie was the type to be distracted by anything cute, but she wished Lemon wouldn’t engage with a potentially dangerous creature.</p>
<p>“Lemon. No.” Juice’s scolding did little to move Lemon, she only let out a hum of acknowledgement before busying herself with petting the dragon once more.</p>
<p>“His name is Pythy; I guess he likes you, pixie,” Kyne spoke, clearly interested in the dragon’s sudden fascination with the human. She held no contempt for the woman like her girlfriend did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You trust her?” Kiara muttered, barely audible, but just enough for Kyne to hear her and nod in response. </p>
<p>“He approves.”</p>
<p>“She’s trustworthy, just an idiot,” Juice spoke up, shaking her head as Lemon was too occupied playing with the baby dragon to acknowledge what had been said before Juice entered the conversation.</p>
<p>“You’re right, I’m an idiot. But I'm a sparkly idiot!” The yellow-haired girl grinned up at Juice. She looked almost cute, petting the dragon with a huge smile on her face, clearly not phased by the comment. Something about Lemon’s constant enthusiasm was interesting, it made Juice want to be around her more, even if her opinion of the woman was neutral, if not a little negative leaning after the events of their meeting.</p>
<p>Before her mind could continue to ponder the enigma that was Lemon, Pythy took a new interest in Juice. He sniffed at her feet, noticing something familiar to the scent of Kiara - that was enough for him to decide Juice was good. The dragon clawed lightly at her legs, growling softly and looking up at her. No one quite got what he was trying to communicate, until lemon picked him up and handed the creature to juice, who was then licked just as the pixie had been before her.</p>
<p>“Alright, maybe he isn’t dangerous. But I’ll need to come back to check on him periodically. Just keep him out of sight of the people in the village and take care of him. A dragon needs lots of attention and care.” Kyne and Kiara nodded, both  letting out a sigh of relief, however the mischievous smile on Lemon’s face was enough for juice to pause, staring at her blankly. </p>
<p>“Please, that’s just your excuse to see him. You can admit you like him, Juicy.” Lemon grinned, pleased by the startled expression that flashed across Juice’s face before she returned to a more neutral look. </p>
<p>She ignored Lemon, saying goodbye to the girlfriends and their pet dragon. All she could do was try to ignore the warmth she felt when Lemon called her Juicy.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>Things didn’t get easier with Lemon, but Juice found herself with surprisingly more patience for the girl’s antics. </p>
<p>She had currently decided to race against Juice in her pixie form, narrowly dodging trees and other obstacles. That was until her attention faded, sending her careening into a rock without any chance to move out the way. Bracing herself, Lemon was confused when the impact never came. Before she noticed, she was suspended, all the speed cancelled out mere inches before the rock. Juice looked at her, half annoyed, half trying not to laugh. </p>
<p>“Thanks, Juice, that would’ve hurt.” </p>
<p>“Is there no way to keep you out of trouble?” Juice laughed as Lemon shook her head. She wondered if the pixie was more trouble than she was worth, but Lemon was by far the most interesting person she’d been around for a long time, and having to stay close to her wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It had taken most of the day for her to come around, but Lemon hid a quick humour under the energy and stupidity. It was fun to see it come out.</p>
<p>“There might be one way,” Lemon mused, before flying to Juice and sitting on the fairy’s shoulder. “If I’m here then there’s a much smaller chance of anything happening. You can keep me out of trouble, right Juicy?” </p>
<p>Juice sighed to mask the unfamiliar but soft feeling bubbling up inside of her. “If it stops you flying around into rocks, then fine.” Lemon nodded enthusiastically, laughing and cracking jokes about her own stupidity, reveling in when Juice would smile or laugh. </p>
<p>Maybe having a fairy watching over her for the next week wasn't such an awful thing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>like it? wanna scream at me? wanna send me a random emoji? i'm on tumblr @soulfulwinter :) go follow me if you wanna</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Juice accompanies Lemon to make some deliveries and they start to understand each other better</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this took a hot minute to finish but we here, huge thank you to zyan for putting up with my nonsensical writing at points and having a lot of patience. this is where the lesbianism kicks in, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lemon shook herself, standing in her human form early in the morning wasn’t something she liked. Her body wasn’t used to this, it begged for more sleep, but she put it down to having only just woken up. Making delivery rounds once a week was a nice routine, but it was the getting up early that was painful. She got paid for selling pixie dust, albeit her own dust, so that was probably the only good part of waking up early. </p>
<p>Her mind wandered as she grabbed the bottled dust, thoughts lingering on that loneliness that had seeped into her the previous night. It got the better of her sometimes, deep down the knowledge that her loneliness was her fault would eat her up given the chance. It was easier to dismiss, not give the thoughts the room to flourish and hurt, but that was easier said than done. At least today would provide some connection, delivering to people she knew, even if she was only a commodity to help their businesses they treated her well, so she could never truly know their motives.</p>
<p>Pixies were looked down upon, that knowledge had been instilled in Lemon from an early age. It was hard hiding your identity when your business is selling pixie dust - though people just thought she had managed to trap the pixie, or that she got it voluntarily. It made Lemon more of an outcast than ever, but she felt it was better than the danger of people knowing who she was. </p>
<p>Walking in her human form felt unnatural, Lemon wanted nothing more than to fly, shaking off the tiredness and reluctance that she had woken up with, but now wasn’t the time for that. Getting caught out now wasn’t an option, not when Juice was probably around somewhere, thinking she was getting up to some misdeed. </p>
<p>“Lemon, what are you up to this early?” Juice appeared next to the pixie, smiling slightly at the squeak of surprise she let out. The fairy looked her over, noticing the downcast eyes and posture smaller than normal. Something was wrong. </p>
<p>Juice wanted to ask her, but something told her there wouldn’t be much of a reply. Instead, she put a supportive hand on her shoulder, Lemon turning to her with a grateful look. </p>
<p>“I gotta make some deliveries,” Lemon spoke somewhat meekly, her eyes not meeting Juice’s. </p>
<p>“Well, do you need any help? Maybe some company?” </p>
<p>Lemon blinked, was Juice offering this because she wasn’t opposed to being around her? The feelings that they were making progress had been ripped apart by her mind the night before but maybe there was something. She looked at Juice, eye’s hopeful, earning a smile that felt like a side of the fairy that she hadn’t gotten to see. A more human side. </p>
<p>Maybe, this was her opening up ever so slightly?</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>The walk to their first stop was fairly uneventful, few words were exchanged, but Juice noted the closeness when they walked through the most populated part of the village. Lemon’s eyes were trained on the floor the minute people were in sight. She stared, eyes blank with an emotion Juice couldn’t quite make out. </p>
<p>Whatever it was, it shifted as they turned on a side street. Her face got lighter, more at ease as they approached a small bakery. Juice knew it to be the one Ilona ran; she went there to get cakes with Kiara every so often, when the younger fairy insisted she needed to get out of her duties and have something nice for once. It became a rare occurence the more things came up, but Juice loved those moments, loved feeling something other than an almost suffocating responsibility.  </p>
<p>“Oh? Hey Lemon. You brought a friend with you today?” The woman behind the counter smiled at the pair, although she seemed to eye up Juice somewhat suspiciously. The fairy shifted nervously, something about those eyes told her that she was already getting judged and all her moves were going to be watched. It was unsettling to say the least.</p>
<p>“Ilona!” Lemon bounced, grinning while walking over to the blue-haired woman. They held a brief exchange that Juice couldn’t make out. Although the way Ilona’s eyes flickered from her to Lemon did nothing to resolve the nervousness she felt building. </p>
<p>“Not to be rude Lem, but why is she with you? She gives off an ‘I'm better than you’ energy.” Ilona glanced at the cold looking blonde. Her face gave no clue to her emotions and it was unnerving.</p>
<p>“Juice? No, she’s nothing like that! She’s really sweet, just not great with people.” Lemon smiled in response. Ilona guessed from that smile that this Juice woman was to be trusted but the stoicism left her weary. </p>
<p>“Wait a second, you’re a fairly frequent customer, with Kiara. You never look thrilled to be dragged here.”</p>
<p>Juice froze, she wanted to melt into the ground right there. Ilona’s face was suspicious, looking Juice up and down for something to clue her in on her attitude. Something didn’t add up with the kind girl Lemon spoke of and the cold, aloof air she gave off. “She likes to bring me here, saying I’ve been inside for too long. It’s not because of you, your cakes are always good.” Juice wasn’t really sure how she sounded, but judging by the tentative and soft look Lemon was giving her, her voice was probably giving all her nerves away. A hand squeezed her shoulder lightly, taking the small blonde by surprise. The pixie’s expression was enough to settle the messy feelings down.</p>
<p>“Well, if Lem likes you, I can’t judge you too hard.” Ilona swatted a hand in a gesture of trying to move the subject, though her eyes still carried a scrutinising gaze. It wasn’t hard to notice the other girl’s unease, and it was easier not to get too into it.</p>
<p>Lemon nodded in acknowledgement before handing Ilona a bottle of pixie dust, her grin growing when handed a bag of coins. </p>
<p>“Lem, don’t forget your tip!” Ilona smirked at the hyper girl, handing her a piece of cake before glancing back to Juice and handing her a second. “One for your friend too.” </p>
<p>“It’s so sparkly, how did you—?” Juice questions softly voice, her voice trailing out of a strong anxiety still present. Staring at the cake. It was normal looking, apart from the way it gleamed yellow in the light.  </p>
<p>“Oh, that’s why Lemon makes weekly deliveries. Turns out, putting a bit of pixie dust into a cake makes it sweeter, also gives it more energy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Juice nodded, trying it when Lemon urged her to. She thought the pure glee on the pixies face was just her being dramatic, but the cake proved her wrong. It felt like something in it was flowing through her, flushing the lingering anxiety away and filling her with a feeling that she could only associate with Lemon. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pixie herself felt something shoot through her at watching Juice enjoy the cake. She knew of the effects, making the person who ate it feel happier and  somewhat better overall. Watching it hit Juice was entertaining, her body loosening it’s stoic stance to a more comfortable one, her attention directed at Lemon with a small smile. </p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“Are you following me for the other delivery I have to make? I think Pri’s a little easier to deal with than Ilona, she likes everyone, so you’ll be fine,” Lemon spoke as they walked, the twinge of concern in her tone making Juice feel something she couldn’t quite name, nor did she know if she wanted to. </p>
<p>Despite being intimidated by Ilona, she held out hope that maybe the other person would be easier to deal with. There was also the part of her that screamed in protest at leaving Lemon’s side. Was it because of her job to keep an eye on the pixie? It was something to think about later.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I can’t trust you on your own, can I? You’d end up in some type of danger.” Lemon laughed at the response, something about that brought that feeling back but Juice pushed it to the back of her mind to deal with later. </p>
<p>Entering the shop, they sawee a brunette struggling with many small bottles of various things off a shelf. She suddenly turned towards the door, dropping something with a loud clang that made Juice flinch. </p>
<p>“Lemon! Ah, my favourite delivery girl, also the only delivery girl I know, come to think of it. You’re here just in time, I just ran out of pixie dust for the potions I need to make today.” The brunette grinned when Lemon and Juice entered, she gave off an air of being easy to get along with, and suddenly Juice began to understand it.</p>
<p>“Hey Pri!” Lemon beamed, the familiarity the pair clearly had was lost on the small blonde behind them. Juice watched, unsure of how to react.</p>
<p>“What’s my name?” </p>
<p>“Priyanka!” The pair laughed between themselves, before Lemon noticed her the fairy looking bewildered, as did Priyanka. </p>
<p>“Oh, Lem has a friend! You good? She isn’t tiring you out is she? She does that, but we love her anyway.” </p>
<p>Despite wanting to respond, Juice found herself frozen. She laughed, the girl in front of her was funny but the idea of speaking was slowly fading the more she stood there.</p>
<p>“This is Juice, she’s really sweet, but girl cannot talk to people.” Next to her, the energetic girl bounced, poking her friend teasingly during the introduction, feeling even more bubbly when she got a small smile in response.</p>
<p>They would have continued, pushing past the awkward introduction to some socialising before Priyanka remembered why they were there in the first place. But someone appeared from the back room, sending Juice into shock when she realised it was one of the higher up fairies from the council, Tynomi. What was she doing here?</p>
<p>“Pri, are you talking to yourself? What’s taking you so long?” She glanced at Priyanka, smiling slightly at the rushed look on her face, and the way she had clearly grabbed too many bottles but refused to admit it. That was when she turned to the side, noting a somewhat familiar looking girl with bright yellow hair and—</p>
<p>Why was Juice there?</p>
<p>“Tynomi? What are you doing here?” Juice blinked, seemingly reluctant to speak up but knowing she needed to, this situation would be too much to deal with if she fell too silent.</p>
<p>“I could ask you the same question, aren’t you supposed to be on duty right now?” Tynomi eyed her up, suspicious as the other girl looked somewhat avoidant. She kept her gaze focused, eyes glancing down due to the difference in height. </p>
<p>“I am, my duty right now includes being with this weirdo.” Juice poked Lemon in the shoulder lightly, leading to the pixie letting out a smirk, lightly shoving her in response.</p>
<p>Tynomi watched them, amazed to see the typically cold and unsociable leader so comfortable around another person. That was something to keep an eye on. </p>
<p>“Ty! I’ve mentioned Lemon to you before, this is her and her friend Juice, do you two know each other?” Tynomi smiled in greeting, shaking off the mention of her knowing Juice with a small shrug. Juice herself just stared blankly, not knowing how to respond. </p>
<p>“You could say that, she’s the quiet young fairy leader I was telling you about a few days ago.” She whispered the last part so only the brunette could hear before nodding at Juice. Unknowingly, the pair exchanged very similar information, only telling of a council member, not the current leader of the fairies. </p>
<p>“I got your pixie dust, here you go, Pri.” Noticing the tension, Lemon switched the topic, exchanging the bottle with a grin.</p>
<p>“Thank you! I have a few potion orders to sort through, so I can’t chat for long, but thank you for coming today. Nice to meet you, Juice!” The brunette bid the pair goodbye, Tynomi following her wordlessly. </p>
<p>“She’s nice.” Juice stood, somewhat dumbfounded at the whole interaction.</p>
<p>“Told you she was easy to talk to.”  Lemon was just as confused, but equally amused. The shock on Juice’s face at seeing Tynomi was amusing, but the tension left in the air made both of them want to leave as soon as possible. </p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“Where are you going?” For what had to have been the fourth or fifth time, the fairy questioned, barely able to keep up with the energetic pixie, flying at a speed no one that small should be capable of. </p>
<p>“A cool place! We’re almost there.” Lemon felt a desire to bring her new friend to her favourite place, not quite knowing why but deciding to follow her instinct. Hearing the soft complaints and questions every so often was far too amusing to pass up. “Look!” </p>
<p>Lemon gestured to the scenery in front of them, seemingly untouched by anyone. It took a minute for Juice to fully take it in, watching the pixie turn into her human form, sitting beneath a tree, sheltering herself from the early afternoon sun. Her eyes shined in awe, staring up at the tree tops surrounding them before her eyes cast  downward to a small river. Uncharacteristically calm, but Juice sensed this was something she was privileged to see. </p>
<p>“It’s beautiful around here,” she spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the blissful gazing of her companion. She got a nod in response, before the pixie turned to her and patted the grass next to her, staring expectantly.</p>
<p>Sat under a tree, in a quiet but comforting company wasn’t how Juice thought she was going to spend the day, but it was a rare moment of calmness that she knew to savour. They became rarer the more she focused on responsibilities, providing duties to the fairies. Her mind ran off, thinking of the things she had to do before the slight craving for a simpler life hit. One like Lemon, unaware of much other than her own existence, just trying to have fun and keep herself entertained. </p>
<p>“You just wanted something, anything to yourself, I'm sorry I came off so strongly when we first met. You’re a really nice person, Lemon.” Juice could see the surprise and light disbelief in Lemon’s face. </p>
<p>“I mean, it wasn’t just that. Part of me was thrilled for the attention, negative or positive, it was something. Living alone gets lonely, and I've never really had any family. There was one person, but—” Lemon’s voice trailed off, she wasn’t ready to reveal everything about herself. Tears pricked at her eyes just thinking about it all; she wanted nothing more than to forget half of the things she’d done, but they’d sit and haunt her like an old ghost, showing their faces when least expected. </p>
<p>“I get the feeling, being alone. It’s hard, people terrify me. You’re easy to deal with, and it’s partly my job to see you a lot right now, you’re an exception, Lem. Leading is hard, you don’t get a lot of free time, the limited time I have to see my friends, or even make some, it's too hard so it left me alone.” Juice turned to Lemon, her expression a mirror of the warmth and kindness in Lemon’s eyes. They sat, quiet, taking in what the other said and only exchanging a few words. A comfortable silence enveloped the area, neither girl wanting to interrupt it or the feeling of connection that was starting to form between them.</p>
<p>“Juice, if you ever do feel really alone and need someone, I’ll be here for you. I like you.” Lemon’s energy shifted, her eyes brightened at the revelation of them finally connecting. Her words were soft, but clearly earnest. Something told Juice that this was something to remember, the kind of thing she’d think about in the dark moments when she felt like no one was there, the moments where her feelings were suffocating.</p>
<p>“Same for you, Lemon. I’ll happily keep you company any time I can.” Watching her face grow even happier, smile winding into a grin and her eyes crinkling it happiness, Juice felt an unfamiliar rush. Something flowed through her and she finally felt at peace. Something was changing, she was okay with that. She had hope, an optimistic thought that Lemon was there to stay, she would do everything to see her as happy as in that moment.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>liked it? go onto tumblr and follow me @soulful winter if you wanna</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>it only took me a month but new chapter tiiimeee. i'm pretty proud of this one, pythy back in action, lots of fluff and emotionally distant fairies. thanks to zyan for betaing,</p>
<p>enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Good job!” </p>
<p>Kyne stood dangerously close to a dragon who couldn’t quite control his fire breathing. Pythy sat beside her, whipping his tail around excitedly with every bit of praise. Trying to get his natural abilities under control was proving a hard task, there was a reason her clothes seemed slightly burnt, and it wasn’t something she wanted to think about again.</p>
<p>It had been going decently well until that point, but a rogue gust of wind deflected the fire straight towards Kyne. She had no time to move. The flames flew at her, all she could do was watch helplessly and brace herself for the impact. </p>
<p>Seconds passed before anything happened, where was the pain? The heat was there but it was as if the fire had harmlessly bounced off. Opening her eyes, Kyne saw a fading glow as the last embers of the fire flickered away. </p>
<p>Noticing what had happened, the dragon beside her let out a sad whine, lowering his head and bumping it against Kyne’s leg apologetically. She lowered down to pet him, before a sudden crash echoed from behind a nearby tree. </p>
<p>Letting out a yelp of pain, Lemon nervously peaked out from behind the trunk, recoiling as two pairs of eyes stared her down </p>
<p>“You protected me?” She asked, baffled. Kyne didn’t know what to think about Lemon. She was clearly quite liked by Juice, especially from what Kiara had told her. Her girlfriend held a grudge against the pixie, expressing constant irritance the more Juice spent time with her.  </p>
<p>It had been almost a week since Kiara had even been able to talk to her friend, constantly distracted by the small nuisance she called Lemon. Kyne listened to her frustrations, but had yet to form much of her own opinion. From their brief meeting she decided Lemon wasn’t bad, just a bit dumb and impulsive. It was enough for Kyne to accept her as a good person when she quickly earned Pythy’s trust. </p>
<p>But Kiara’s complaints rang in her head the more she watched Lemon shuffle awkwardly, clearly nervous for an unknown reason. </p>
<p>“Well, I wasn't going to let you burn,” Lemon huffed, quickly becoming defensive the longer Kyne stared at her. There was something about her stare that rubbed Lemon the wrong way. It was analytical, scarily so; it felt like Kyne was looking straight through her, and that was something she would rather avoid more than anything. </p>
<p>Breaking their stalemate, Pythy slowly trundled forward, stopping in front of the pixie with an expectant grunt. He nuzzled into Lemon’s hand as she pet him, gleefully swinging his tail back and forth at the attention. Letting out a happy grunt, he glanced back at Kyne, then back to Lemon, enjoying the attention. </p>
<p>“Well, he’s decided that it’s petting time. What are you doing around here, anyway?” Kyne walked over, leaning to run her hand under the dragon’s chin, making him even more excited </p>
<p>Lemon shrugged, she didn’t have much of an explanation. Who planned everything they did? It was easier to do things on a whim, not everything needed a reason.</p>
<p>Most things didn’t have a reason, maybe that was where the loneliness kicked in. The lack of routine and other people to have such a thing in common with was a thought that Lemon pushed to the back of her mind, something to ponder over when the emotions got too much to bear. Now wasn’t the time. </p>
<p>“I’m going to guess you aren’t too great at speaking with people you don't know.” From Lemon’s shocked expression, Kyne knew she had hit the nail on the head. Maybe a little too well judging from the avoidant staring at the dragon beside them. </p>
<p>Lemon had all but clammed up, not knowing how or wanting to respond. Kyne realised she must have poked the girl in a rough spot, bringing something else up before the awkwardness could linger any more. “We were trying to get his aim a little better, this isn’t the first time I've almost been burnt but it was the closest, thanks for stopping it by the way.” </p>
<p>“Why not try using targets?” Lemon spoke suddenly, shedding her previous avoidance and standing up to be face to face with Kyne. </p>
<p>The brunette asked how she could do that without burning something down, with Lemon soon demonstrating, launching a small amount of pixie dust at the dragon—which he quickly incinerated. It burst into a short, large fireball that fizzled out before anyone could blink. </p>
<p>“Do you want some help?” Lemon smiled, feeling her confidence return now that she wasn’t being analysed. She found herself enjoying Kyne and Pythy’s company after that, helping the baby dragon to not hit things he wasn’t supposed to. </p>
<p>It felt good to be helpful, leaving Lemon with a newfound friendship with Kyne and a happy dragon, who begged her for attention every time he did something right. </p>
<p>Maybe spending time with someone other than Juice wasn’t too bad, but the pixie still craved her friend’s presence more than anything.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---<br/>“Are you okay? You seemed to just shut down in there when they mentioned the—” </p>
<p>“Don’t even talk about it. Do you know how bad this could be? We have to do something and they seemed so casual about it.” Juice interrupted Tynomi before she could finish, tone sharp and snappy. </p>
<p>Tynomi sat with Juice, attempting to get some response out of the girl. She’d been sitting out behind the council room for a while, staring vacantly at the treetops above them. Most people would assume she just enjoyed the peace of the area, but she had  clearly been avoiding anyone who left said room. </p>
<p>“You barely spoke up.” Tynomi only wanted to talk the leader down, but she was clearly agitated. It wasn’t new for Juice’s temper to snap, though she used to just make her point louder, making people listen to her rather than clamming up and glaring. </p>
<p>“They didn’t listen to me the first time, it felt pointless. They throw you into a position of leadership and then disrespect it! Why do I even try?” Juice sighed,  her body curling in on itself so she could lay her head on her knees. </p>
<p>“Are humans that big of a threat?” Tynomi’s words were laced with a genuine concern that made Juice’s stomach flip. She wasn't ready to deal with people or express all her feelings. She stayed silent, only nodding her head with a serious expression to not leave the question hanging unanswered. </p>
<p>“You know, I’m not asking as a member of the council. You’re clearly stressed and I want to help you.” Tynomi attempted to crack through Juice’s walls, but her words seemed to have little effect.</p>
<p>“Haven’t you got that witch to talk to about emotions? I don’t want to talk, Tynomi,” Juice spoke harshly, it took her a second to realise how her words came out, the hurt on the other girls face making her want to sink deeper into herself and not have to look at another person for a while. </p>
<p>“Juice, we’re not doing this. Go see your pixie friend, you two clearly get each other well, and you don’t want to talk to me.” Tynomi put a hand on Juice’s shoulder, smiling at the younger girl when she glanced up. Juice returned it, however forced it may have been. </p>
<p>“It’s okay, I know you’re not like this on purpose. Go take time for yourself for once.” Juice nodded, intent on following Tynomi’s advice and going to track down Lemon. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Juice didn’t have the energy to ponder if turning up at Lemon’s door with no warning was rude or not, all she knew was that she needed Lemon at that moment. Nothing was dull with her around, and Juice desperately needed something to take her mind off the stress of meetings and a seemingly endless list of duties she’d been thrown in the past few days. </p>
<p>Something about Lemon’s manic energy levels meant she couldn’t think of anything, too distracted by trying to keep up with the pixie. She hesitantly knocked, suddenly doubting the idea of turning up out of the blue.</p>
<p>“Juice!” The door flew open with an excited exclamation from a human Lemon. She bounced at the sight of the fairy, pulling her into a hug with little warning. </p>
<p>That level of excitement was appreciated, though all Juice could give back in return was a small smile, signalling Lemon in on her lack of energy. </p>
<p>“I missed you,” Juice spoke, her tone more subdued than Lemon was used to. Although a dull, heavy feeling was weighing over Juice, the sight of Lemon brought her up enough to be honest about how she was feeling.</p>
<p>Lemon felt her heart warm at the vulnerability, Juice seemed to have so many walls up, even when they were alone, that seeing her like this was something rare. She needed to  pause and act in a way to not mess anything up, prove to Juice that it was okay to be vulnerable around her.  </p>
<p>“It’s been so busy and stressful lately, I wish I had you on my shoulder making dumb jokes about everything. I know it’s weird just turning up, I just wanted to see you,” Juice continued, eyes darting around to not see Lemon’s reaction. The pixie didn’t miss it, just chose not to comment.</p>
<p>“You missed me? I’m just that great.” Lemon grinned, her smile turning softer as Juice’s anxious expression morphed into an amused one, letting out a laugh that awoke something in Lemon. She had no clue what the feeling was, but it fell in the pit of her stomach, fluttering as Juice laughed. She needed to do that again.  </p>
<p>Juice was quieter than usual, her exhaustion almost palpable to Lemon. The pixie decided to try to keep herself as collected as possible, not giving Juice another thing to deal with. It went unspoken that Juice wanted a distraction, something to keep her mind away from the stresses of her current situation. </p>
<p>They fell silent after that, few words being exchanged before themselves outside, sat next to each other watching the sunset. It was something Lemon loved to do by herself, quietly staring at the sky as it faded into different shades of orange and red. The sky wasn’t the only mesmerising thing, though; Juice had never gone back into her human form, letting her wings free to move in the evening air. The fading sunlight glinted off them making Lemon pause to take it in. Shades of red, matching those in the sky with many more joining them. Juice rarely had her wings out, never for this long. It wasn’t something she was likely to see again, so she savoured the sight. </p>
<p>There was something different about Juice in the evening light. She seemed more relaxed and quieter than ever before, most likely due to how tired she was. Her head laid against Lemon’s shoulder the moment they sat down, the level of affection somewhat unusual but not unwelcome. She seemed content, curled into Lemon’s side with a small smile. All the pixie knew was she didn’t want this feeling to end, the closeness between her and Juice and the utter calm of it all. </p>
<p>At some point the fairy prompted a small conversation, asking Lemon how her day was, only interjecting to respond. The soft spoken tone of Lemon’s words made Juice slowly lose her remaining grips of consciousness, fading into a blur of tiredness before succumbing to her exhaustion. It took Lemon a little while to realise, a soft snore snapping her back to reality to notice Juice’s sleeping face tucked into her shoulder. It was almost dark at that point, making Lemon move inside, carrying a sleeping Juice inside with her to avoid having to wake her up. </p>
<p>Despite the precautions, Juice stirred as Lemon left her to sleep, letting out a soft, muffled whine as she lifted her head to look at Lemon. Her eyes looked like they weren’t going to stay open for much longer. </p>
<p>Lemon paused, was there something up? What was Juice trying to communicate? Her question got answered as she walked back over to the bed only to be tugged onto it by Juice. The fairy pulled Lemon down to her, curling into her side and burrowing her head into her shoulder before her eyes shut once more.</p>
<p>“You want to sleep here?” Lemon whispered, Juice only letting out a grunt of acknowledgement.</p>
<p>Lemon was left speechless at Juice’s affection, though she wasn’t against it. Juice was warm, staying pressed into her side, softly snoring in a way that Lemon could only describe as adorable. She looked more peaceful than she’d ever thought possible and Lemon wanted to savour their closeness for as long as she could before morning came, busying Juice once more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm back back back again with more gay fairies and this time we have a gay elf and another gay pixie, very fun!! i'm excited to finally get jan and rock into the mix &gt;:) </p>
<p>thanks to my dearest zyan for betaing and putting up with my lack of commas. it's a lot to deal with</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time felt like it was floating; maybe it was the hazy morning air, or the warmth that was enveloping her, but Lemon had never felt so comfortable. She was somewhat aware of the body intertwined with her’s. Cracking her eyes open, she saw Juice still pressed into her side. Soft breaths tickled her collarbone, Juice’s head having not left her shoulder the entire time they’d been sleeping. </p>
<p>Lemon couldn’t bring herself to move and risk disturbing her friend, she had a feeling Juice wasn’t the best at letting herself sleep, always opting to do things than give herself time to rest. It was an issue she couldn’t press for fear of making things awkward, only try to subtly influence. She looked calm, peaceful for once; the blonde showed no signs of waking up any time soon. Even when she was relaxed, Juice had a natural frown, her face never seeming fully happy apart from the rare, softer moments that happened. The night before was one of those, something where the air around them was different, things came out easier and it felt as if nothing in the world mattered, only their company. </p>
<p>It surprised Lemon how easily she fell into the grasp of another person—she’d spent so long pent up, alone by her own choice but regretting it more day by day, powerless to stop the torment she put herself through. </p>
<p>Then Juice came around, giving her someone to really connect with. Finally, a friend. </p>
<p>Juice woke up some time while Lemon was busy in her own thoughts. She stayed still at first, melted into Lemon, not wanting to move from the comfort she offered. Her half-asleep brain could only process that the warm thing next to her was good and needed to be kept around. </p>
<p>After pulling Lemon slightly closer than before, Juice didn’t budge. She set her claim, curled up in bed with Lemon, and refused to leave or even slightly mess up the current situation. Lemon was brought back to reality by Juice shuffling as much closer as she could physically manage, her affection not going anywhere any time soon.</p>
<p>“Morning, Juicy,” Lemon spoke softly, not yet ready for the day, still fighting off the sleep. The response she got was a soft hum, not having processed the greeting, however wanting to appear as if she had. </p>
<p>“G’morning, Lem.” Juice’s tone was rough with tiredness, her words muffled by her head still burrowed into the pixie’s shoulder. Her speech was less annunciated, just about not slurring together in fatigue. </p>
<p>It didn’t take too long for them both to fully wake up. Lemon, having already been fairly alert choosing to stay in the blissful state of Juice’s affection. The latter needed a few more minutes to wake up, before engaging in a conversation. Within a few more minutes, Juice moved her arms from Lemon, startling the pixie. She sat up, eyes still heavy with tiredness, though a lot more alert than before. </p>
<p>Eventually, Lemon followed suit, the pair quietly preparing for the day ahead of them, a morning routine made easier with the company of another person. Juice stared at Lemon quizzically as she only ran a hand through her hair and shrugged.</p>
<p>“Do you not brush your hair a lot? Are you one of those people who don’t need to? Or is it just something you dislike.” Lemon paused, how did she explain that she despised brushing it until she had to, for no real reason? It just made her uncharacteristically angry.</p>
<p>“I don’t like it, I have too much hair and it’s a pain to brush it all out, so I don’t if I can get away with it, which I could have before you pointed it out.” She childishly stuck her tongue out for emphasis, while Juice struggled to hold back the laughter at her usual dramatics. </p>
<p>Lemon wanted nothing more than to run when she saw Juice pick up her comb, glancing between it and her hair curiously. The fairy made her way to her side, nudging Lemon to see if she was allowed to do so. Lemon wanted to say no, but something about Juice’s soft expression melted her into accepting with no fuss.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long before Lemon grunted at the pulling of her hair with the comb to detangle it. It was a horrible feeling, all the more reason she despised that thing. Juice tried to be as gentle as she could, but she had to be more forceful to get out any knots. Lemon became more docile as they went along, her hair becoming a lot less messy, though still as fluffy as ever. Lemon found herself enjoying the soft contact of Juice, steadying her head with a hand leant against her neck, or running her hands through the hair to check she hadn’t missed anything. It made her body warm in an unfamiliar way, but something she would crave again all the same. </p>
<p>Juice smiled proudly at the finished product and Lemon hummed in satisfaction. Running a hand through her hair, the pixie flashed a grin, happy with the result. The blonde took the opportunity to fluff up her hair like how it usually was, running her hands through it to check the neatness all over. </p>
<p>That was the only reason, not that she enjoyed being in such close proximity with Lemon or anything. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Although it had gotten easier, flying with Lemon was never a good idea—she would zoom off at a speed that Juice could hardly keep up with. Thankfully, the pixie had decided to rest on her shoulder, making herself comfortable as the fairy flew them further on.</p>
<p>“There’s something over there!” Lemon jolted, gesturing to the right, sounding uncharacteristically serious. Juice shot her a confused look, not sure what caused the sudden outburst or why her eyes were so trained on the direction she had pointed to.</p>
<p>“I can feel something, I don’t know what it is, but I need to go check it out,” Lemon said quickly, flying off of Juice’s shoulder and deeper into the surrounding forest. </p>
<p>“Lemon! You aren’t going alone, slow down,” Juice sighed, following Lemon as fast as she could and hoping the pixie didn’t fly into anything in her sudden burst of energy. The pixie paused, fluttering her way back to the shoulder and directing Juice from there. </p>
<p>They flew decently far out, to the outskirts of the village where a few people lived, who didn’t like living in the main town area for whatever reason. Upon spotting a house in the distance, Lemon’s eyes lit up. That was it! That was the thing she could feel. There was something inside that house that was drawing her to it, and she needed to find out. </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Jan sprung back to consciousness at an alarming rate. No grogginess, only a sudden burst of energy that startled the person leaning over her. </p>
<p>Before her brain could catch up as to why there was a concerned elf in a cloak staring at her, something pulled at her. The sensation was willing her to leave the little cottage and venture into the surrounding woods, though that seemed like a bad idea. </p>
<p>“Hey! Don’t just leave! You’re not really in the state to—!” The elf threw herself to grab the pixie as she jumped off of the bed, before stumbling to the floor atop the other girl, her voice failing as they collided with the ground.</p>
<p>“Are you alright? I know you fell quite hard, but you just jolted up all of a sudden and it was terrifying,” the other girl spoke slower, a lot quieter that time. She struggled to hold eye contact, seemingly scared of Jan. It was a lot to realise someone may be intimidated by her, but the pixie tried to keep herself as small and harmless as possible in response. </p>
<p>“I’m okay, everything hurts, though. I’m not quite sure what happened.” </p>
<p>“Well, you see. I accidentally shot you down from the sky with my bow, because I saw you and got scared, I thought you were a predator and defended myself before properly looking,” meekly, the elf mumbled out an explanation. </p>
<p>Jan felt herself stifling a giggle at how adorable the person in front of her was. She looked too nervous for Jan to want to poke fun at her, but the way she blushed, the tips of her pointy ears turning pink, was too cute. Although the situation wasn’t good, the pixie couldn’t help but stare, taking in every aspect of the pretty girl.</p>
<p>
  <i>Oh no. She couldn’t be—</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jan blinked a few times, shaking the thought from her head before it could finish. The idea of emotionally bonding with some random person who accidentally injured her was ridiculous. She was cute, it didn’t go any deeper than that. She also was the reason Jan couldn’t keep her balance right now, yet that seemed the furthest worry from her mind. </p>
<p>“It’s fine, I’m not that hurt.” A skeptical look made Jan laugh, although being hit by an arrow was painful, she hadn’t had too many bad injuries. Minus the pain all over her body, but that wasn’t a problem when her attention was focused on something; or rather, someone else. </p>
<p>Before their conversation could continue, a loud bang startled the pair. Jan felt the pulling sensation even stronger now. </p>
<p>Something was demanding her attention. </p>
<p>She had to follow it; her body decided that for her. She walked out of the house with the panicked elf quickly pacing after her. Jan idly wondered if she was always so panicky, or if this was something far too out of her comfort zone, leaving her almost unable to function. </p>
<p>“Wait, it’s here! Her!” A high pitched squeak of a voice spoke far too loudly for someone of her size. In a flash of yellow, Lemon fluttered in front of Jan. </p>
<p>Their expressions mirrored each other, shock and confusion soon morphing into excitement, upon realising their shared species. It was one of the first times Lemon had truly been left speechless. </p>
<p>“So you’re the one who gave me that feeling? You’re a strong little thing.” Jan inspected the small creature in front of her. Lemon only shrugged in response, not too aware of exactly what was happening, intrigued nonetheless. There was something about the soft lilac eyes and hair of the girl in front of her, that made her feel comfortable. </p>
<p>Lemon shifted into her human form, staring Jan down much in the same way she had just done. She couldn’t figure it out, but the woman had a comforting energy. It reminded her of something she hadn’t felt in a long time, but she couldn’t let herself linger on that thought. </p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“So, you’ve never met another pixie?” Jan stared at Lemon in shock, the raw energy emanating from her being completely untrained was almost inconceivable. Lemon shrugged, not seeing it as a huge deal, despite her excitement to meet another pixie.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I mean, I grew up around fairies, so it’s kind of similar, but I don’t know much about pixies.”</p>
<p>“Well, we need to make up for lost time! I bet you barely know how to use your powers. You can teleport and levitate things, but can you feel emotions, or sense energy? You’re close enough with Juice to connect with her if you tried. I’m not sure how it would work between a pixie and a fairy, rather than two pixies, but it’s definitely possible.”</p>
<p>“Connect? How so?”</p>
<p>“It’s just a thing pixies do; we get close enough to someone and a link develops. It can be trained to sense general energies, but you’re tied to the energy of another person. So, you could be able to feel Juice’s feelings, and reach a deeper understanding of each other.”</p>
<p>“That sounds so cool! How do I do it? What else can I do? Can you teach me?” Lemon’s eyes sparkled with so much excitement, that Jan felt herself soften; Lemon was so earnestly energetic and eager to learn that saying no wasn’t an option. </p>
<p>Juice watched on with a smile—Lemon finding another pixie was something she’d mentioned wanting to do in a passing conversation, since she knew so little about herself. There was something about seeing her so happy that made her heart squeeze, Lemon deserved so much more than what she got. </p>
<p>Lemon was incredible, although Juice couldn’t find the words to communicate it. She wouldn’t admit how much she adored the little troublemaker, but she would never stop being thankful she met that idiot. </p>
<p>Rock nervously approached Juice, feeling they had similar energies. The fairy jolted in shock at a soft greeting, but they soon got into a conversation about the pixies. Juice was happy to share what it was like to be close to one, as Rock realised that Jan was likely to stick around. She would find it hard to leave for the time being due to her injuries; the elf quietly hoped to herself that she would stay. </p>
<p>Juice quickly found a kinship with the elf based on their shared awkwardness when it came to social interactions; her anxieties settled as she realised the elf had the same issues. Their discussions flowed surprisingly easily, as they waited for the two pixies to calm down their enthusiasm. </p>
<p>“So, is the intense energy just a pixie thing?” Rock cocked her head, curiously glancing between the pair and Juice. </p>
<p>“It must be, Lemon doesn’t know how to sit still—he’s always got to be doing something, or she’ll complain about being bored. It’s kind of fun, though; she keeps things exciting.” Juice’s eyes fell back onto an excited Lemon, her face growing into an involuntary soft smile. </p>
<p>Rock noticed something in the way the smaller girl looked at her, but decided not to mention it. It wasn’t her place to comment.</p>
<p>“Juice! Jan’s gonna teach me how to use my powers, isn’t that cool?” Lemon giddily bounced back to her friend, eyes gleaming with such excitement, Juice felt her heart warm with how happy she seemed. </p>
<p>Lemon deserved so much more than she got, and Juice was going to do everything she could to make sure that happened.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>if you liked come say hi on tumblr i'm @winterboxx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>took a lil bit but chapter 6 is here with 7 being mostly done, just needing more work and editing. i've been really excited for where this is going, i hope people enjoy :)</p><p>thanks to emerald for betaing they do be very entertaining</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’ve gotten better! Try to relax more, though, let yourself feel the power before you use it.” Jan held back a laugh. Lemon had a lot of skill, but no patience to let it build up before doing something. She picked things up quickly, but the lack of attention after a short while was a little concerning.</p><p>“That sounds like a lot of effort,” Lemon whined, her eyes glued to her hands, still sparkling as she’d managed to teleport herself and Jan. </p><p>“You’re not good at that are you? Paying attention to people or focusing on things.”</p><p>“I’m also not good with people!” Lemon looked thoughtful before blurting out a response with a grin. She shrugged, it was something she’d always struggled with so why be negative about it? Though the positivity masked something darker, she wouldn’t let her self-doubt seep into this. It could bottle up and come out at a more reasonable time than when she was trying to pay attention to Jan’s teachings.</p><p>“I can tell, that’s not a thing to boast about.” </p><p>Jan shook her head, though they hadn’t known each other for that long, Lemon had become a little sister of sorts. They had a lot of similarities in their level of energy and excitement for small things nevertheless Jan could calm herself when needed. Maybe it was due to having a few years of life experience on the smaller girl. </p><p>“Maybe it is! Me and Juice have that in common.” It wasn’t surprising how she managed to bring up her best friend. Throughout their conversations, Lemon couldn’t help but bring Juice up every now and then. She had a big impact on the pixie although she wouldn’t admit it to her, knowing how smug Juice would get for succeeding in trying to calm the troublemaker. </p><p>“You and Juice have a lot in common, Lem. She’s a bit calmer than you though.” Jan lightly elbowed her in the arm, laughing at the overdramatic squeal she let out. </p><p>The noise alerted Rock, peering her head round the door before shrugging and going back inside. The pixies were both loud, dramatic people. It wasn't too shocking to see them play fighting. Something about the way Jan had taken Lemon under her wing was adorable though. She’d found her way into Rock’s life quite the same way. She was quick to warm up to people, endlessly loving to the point it was hard not to like her back. </p><p>The elf wondered if she would tire of this, her seclusion from people or the way she lived. Deep down she couldn’t help but hope Jan would stay with her, however unlikely that may be.</p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>Crying. That was all Kiara could hear. It was faint, sounding as if the person didn’t want to be heard but couldn’t hold back their feelings. It hurt her to hear, and she fluttered over to the source of the sound cautiously. The sight of someone hunched over, head in their arms sobbing came into view. Then she realised who it was. </p><p>Juice couldn’t hold it back, her cold demeanor could only last for so long before she broke down. Though she thought she was alone, finally comfortable to let out her pent-up feelings, she heard someone fly around her, a concerned voice asking if she was okay. </p><p>Juice froze, looking up wide-eyed. Her stomach dropped as Kiara stared back at her, concern written all over her face. Though she didn’t move, the tears didn’t stop from rolling down her paralysed face. Everything was too much to deny, she’d been caught and had to say something to get Kiara off her back but the excuses weren’t there. She could do nothing but accept the hug her friend offered and cry more.</p><p>“Juice, hey, it’s okay. What’s wrong? I’ve never seen you so upset,” Kiara spoke in a hushed tone, holding the shaking girl closer. Juice wasn’t one to show much vulnerability, even to a close friend, something must have happened to cause this. </p><p>Juice couldn’t verbalise a response, struggling over her words before crying more, half out of frustration for her lack of communication skills and the other regarding everything happening at that moment. </p><p>“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I’m here for you, yeah?” Kiara rubbed her friends back supportively, whispering supportive words to her as the tears showed little sign of stopping. </p><p>That was what Juice did, she bottled up her emotions until they spilled over. It wasn’t a smart strategy, but it kept her able to function most of the time. She was used to swallowing down everything until the last moment that releasing it felt foreign. It was terrifying to do in front of another, although the way Kiara supported her made it feel that little bit better. </p><p>--- </p><p>“Juice? You alright there? You’re thinking a lot, that’s worrying.” Tynomi hovered over the smaller girl, confusion etched onto her features. Juice realised she’d been blankly staring, her mind distracted by a distant memory that decided to make itself known again. It brought up a sour taste of how she put too much into her training, leaving the one friendship she had from getting closer. Kiara was the closest she ever got to someone her age before Lemon. </p><p>It stung in hindsight, knowing that had been the only time she opened up to Kiara. The fear stopped her after, not wanting to ruin any perception of strength she had. They’d talked about it after, once Juice had become the leader of their clan and Kiara had settled into a medic role. But it wasn’t the same as adults with responsibilities. Juice couldn’t help but yearn for her adolescent ignorance but also resented that time with a passion. At least now she had people around her, even if the walls rarely came down.</p><p>“I’m allowed to think, you should try it sometime,” Juice laughed as Tynomi looked taken aback before returning with an amused smile. </p><p>“Oh? She’s suddenly gotten a lot happier. You were moping yesterday and today you’ve bounced right back? I’m happy to see it.” </p><p>Juice felt an arm snake its way around her shoulders. Though she didn’t move away, the action felt foreign. She got along quite well with Tynomi. She had to, since they ran the entire clan between the two of them. Tynomi was also good for picking up things Juice couldn’t do, namely talking to people. She handled the large speaking roles, Juice’s anxiety getting the better of her a lot of the time. </p><p>They’d never been like this, something easier. A friendship.</p><p>Oh. A friendship. She had those. Multiple.</p><p>Juice smiled, relaxing into the affection. Tynomi almost couldn't believe she was seeing the infamously serious fairy relax. She knew of Juice’s issues with people, even those she’d consider a friend. Maybe that pixie was a good influence. </p><p>“So, Lemon? Ever since she’s come around you’ve been a little different.” Tynomi saw something change in Juice at the mention of her friend. Something she never thought she’d see from the leader. “Little Juice, she’s fallen in love hasn’t she.” </p><p>Juice stared blankly, processing before her eyes widened, a heat of embarrassment lighting up her face. </p><p>“You are!” Tynomi erupted into laughter at the way Juice avoided her gaze. Her eyes fell to the floor, though the blush on her face was clear from the way it crept its way up to her ears. </p><p>“Tynomi!” Juice cursed herself for not having any other response, only a squeak of protest due to how flustered she was. Was it that obvious? She’d been acutely aware there was something different about her and Lemon’s relationship but to call it love was startling</p><p>But it felt right. </p><p>Lemon had been nothing but a good influence on her, letting her calm down when things got too overwhelming and always finding a way back to her side. She’d felt so much happier since they started to get close. It finally all made sense. Lemon was an escape from the repetitive stress of her duties and lack of close relationships. The pixie forced her way in and helped fix the issues without realising.</p><p>She loved Lemon. Now, she had to process everything that went with that.</p><p>----</p><p>Kyne felt her heart melt as Kiara played with their dragon. He was a rowdy little guy, always wanting to play or follow one of his mothers. He’d clambered around her lap for a little while before setting his sights on the most comfortable looking place, her hair. Kiara attempted to get him off but the little guy was persistent. He made his way up her arm, gleefully nestling his hair into the curly afro. Kyne knew Kiara was against it but couldn't stop the sight, it was too adorable to intervene.</p><p>“Ok boy, I know it’s comfortable but can you please come down?” Kiara spoke to the dragon softly, a hand moving to slowly stroke his scales. Her question received a growl of protest, Pythy waving his wings to get her hands off as she attempted to move the small reptile. </p><p>The pleading look Kiara sent her made Kyne begrudgingly step in, lifting the dragon off without much difficulty, though he looked utterly betrayed by the act. An indignant huff and flick of his tail was all the anger he had in him before going back to begging for pets in Kiara’s lap. </p><p>Their quiet downtime could only last so long, a sudden noise got the attention of the trio as something came crashing through the door.</p><p>“Kiki! Kyne!” Juice flew through, her words fast and panicked. Pythy leapt up with a growl, relaxing upon seeing the familiar face.</p><p>“Have you seen Lemon?” Juice’s eyes watered, her face contorted in a pained sorrow. Despite the melancholy of her appearance, she seemed fidgety. Anxiety bubbling under the surface of sadness she carried.</p><p>“No? Isn’t she normally with you?” Kyne questioned, her tone trying to be soft enough to not rile up the smaller girl.</p><p>“Well, she isn’t!” Juice snapped, a wave of intense anger took over her as she went flying off. Kiara roughly grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving but causing the fairy to struggle like she was being held captive. “Kiara! Let go of me!” Her voice was higher, louder than her friend had ever heard. Juice continued to struggle, though it came to bite her as Kiara took a grip on both of her wrists.</p><p>“Juice? What happened?” Though her grip tightened, Kiara struck the right tone to get through to the thrashing girl. She held no anger in her words or eyes, only genuine concern that made her friend finally break.</p><p>The pain in her tone broke their heart, Juice turned around, eyes unable to move from the floor. Her whole body trembled as she held back a sob. Her tone was broken, solemn words spoken by someone who had the one thing she loved ripped away in the blink of an eye. </p><p>“Lemon is missing.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i'd say i'm sorry for that cliff hanger but i am absoluelty not &lt;3 </p><p>i'm on tumblr @winterboxx if you wanna say hi &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>for me this is pretty good timing ... but we're almost at the end of this fic and i'm sad to need to finish it</p>
<p>however we are resolving a cliffhanger so that's good, thanks to emerald for putting up with my 7 pages of angst</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lemon felt an ache in her bones. It took her a second to gather her bearings, curled up on the forest floor surrounded by what looked like a camp. The memories started coming back at the sight of the humans. </p>
<p>
  <i>Pain, everything burned as they placed the torture devices on her. It burned her skin as they sat. She couldn't move, everything faded around her apart from the throbbing in her wrists. It got worse the longer she stood there even though she couldn’t stand for long. A gut-wrenching scream worked its way out of her throat. The people just looked at her with disgust, giving a kick to her leg, causing them to buckle. That was when they got her legs. She couldn’t move now. The pain got worse, her vision faded but the consciousness stayed. Everything around her faded apart from the taunting laughs and throbbing pain…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Was this the end? </i>
</p>
<p>She wanted to fight it, but the cuffs around her arms and legs made that impossible. They approached Lemon, looking scarily calm. Almost as if they wanted to appear friendly. </p>
<p>“So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” One of them spoke, Lemon couldn’t make out any distinguishing features, her vision blurred by uncried tears from the still searing pain of the restraints. </p>
<p>“Tell us what you know and you won’t get hurt, if not we always have more cuffs.” They continued, roughly grabbing the ones around her wrists. Lemon held back a yelp, not wanting to show any weakness. “Well? Where are they? You know something, so be a good girl and tell us.”</p>
<p>Lemon stayed as stoic as she could, staring at them with a blank look in her eyes.  She looked void of any feeling, a stark contrast to the screaming sobbing mess she’d been the night before. </p>
<p>“I don’t know anything,” Lemon spoke flatly, hissing in pain as the human shook her by the cuffs again. </p>
<p>“And I don’t buy that, I’ll give you one more chance, what do you know?”</p>
<p>Lemon didn’t reply. She knew a lot, though she would never tell. The idea they wanted to harm the village wouldn’t have phased her a few years ago. Hell, her past resentment still bubbled up every now and then. But she had people, she wouldn't let them get hurt. Any thought to speak up and spare the pain quickly fell with the image of Juice injured. They wouldn’t be easy on her, but the fairy had too much pride and pent-up anger in her to give up easily. They had the power to kill Juice. Lemon couldn’t let that happen, even if it cost her.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>Juice felt her heart break the longer they looked, Pythy and Kyne sniffed everywhere and yet couldn’t find any trace of a scent. Lemon must have been flying but they had no leads on what could have happened to her. No one had seen her, though they promised to keep an eye out. Rock and Jan had joined the search. It helped to have someone else in the air but it proved hopeless. It had been a day since everything had happened. Lemon was nowhere to be found and the darker reality set into Juice’s mind no matter how hard she tried to fight the idea.</p>
<p>She was haunted by visions of a bloody, bruised yellow-haired girl. Her body was stiff, not breathing and every time her eyes closed the body was there. It wouldn’t leave no matter how hard she tried, the sight got worse the longer she looked. It left her sobbing, Kiara holding her as the blonde cried harder than she ever had. </p>
<p>It couldn’t be. Lemon couldn't be dead. </p>
<p>So why did it feel like she was?</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>
  <i>“Lemon? Are you alright?” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The little girl didn’t respond, but ran to Rita as she opened her arms for a tight hug. Something was clearly eating her up but she couldn’t find the words to explain her fears. It was the middle of the night, the older woman having come running to her room as she heard crying. She guessed it to be a nightmare of some sort but the dead silence led her to worry more.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
Lemon sat, arms wrapped around Rita’s waist as she let out small sobs into her chest. She wanted to be strong, she was old enough to be. But the maternal embrace got to her, Rita’s hands slowly stroking her hair helped her calm down. Eventually she quieted, letting out a slight sniffle as she shifted to look up at the woman holding her.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Why did my first parents abandon me?”   </i>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><i>Oh no. Not that question. Rita knew it would come up eventually, she’d tried to be as transparent as she could given Lemon’s age but she’d always known Rita wasn’t her biological mother. It didn’t hinder their relationship, but the underlying tension it caused, Lemon knowing she was unwanted by the people who birthed her, was something she knew would come around eventually.</i> </p>
<p>
  <i>“Because they were bad people, you’re a lovely person and they missed out on the world's best kid,” Rita spoke softly, pulling Lemon closer into her as the girl looked to be getting emotional again.</i>
</p>
<p><i>“I can’t be that good if they left me.”</i> </p>
<p>
  <i>“Lemon. Look at me, don’t let yourself think that. You’re amazing, and a very loving person, they were wrong to leave you. They couldn’t have been good people to leave a child all defenceless and it isn’t your fault they did.“</i>
</p>
<p><i>Lemon glanced up at Rita once more, her eyes still brimming with tears. “Thanks Ri.” </i> </p>
<p><i>Rita returned her words with a soft smile, ruffling her hair as the kid stayed clung to her waist.</i> </p>
<p><i>“No problem kiddo, talk to me whenever something is bothering you. You know, no matter what happens we’re family and you’ll always be my little girl.”</i> </p>
<p>
  <i>The yellow-haired girl giggled, nodding in understanding. “You’re always going to be my mum.” </i>
</p>
<p><i>That made Rita’s heart swell, she knew they were parent and child but hearing Lemon say it for the first time was something special. She knew things would never be easy, they had a lot of differences and Lemon had a lot of hardships that she had never encountered.</i> </p>
<p>
  <i>But they’d always be family. No matter what.</i>
</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Lemon didn’t want to cry, any weakness shown would end up hurting her. It already had and she didn’t have the energy to take much more. Everything burned, but she’d become numb to it after a while. The later it got in the day, the more she started to give up. It was unlikely but she couldn’t help but hope Juice would find her. She knew the fairy would be freaking out. Kiara would probably keep her as calm as she could but it was hard to console Juice when she was anxious, not until she came over when she was ready to talk. </p>
<p>Juice wouldn’t come, she couldn’t. But the hope never left, it made reality sting that much more. The sky was dark now, no one could hear Lemon if she was quiet. She couldn’t help but feel a few tears slip down her cheeks. She was staying strong but the little girl inside her quivered, just wanting someone she knew would keep her safe. </p>
<p>That was when the regret settled in. Lemon had nothing else to do but think, and her mind wandered to the sadder things. She’d had that safety before and squandered it out of stubbornness and teenage anger that fizzled out before she knew it and left her empty.</p>
<p>In her weakest moments, when she became all too aware of the pain and the reality of everything that happened, she remembered Rita’s face. The pure hurt that she could never unsee. She saw a broken Juice with her, both of them mourning. But reality bit her again, she had a chance of not making it back.</p>
<p>She just wanted to say sorry, to be held by the only family she ever had. But that felt impossible. </p>
<p>She was going to die here.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Despite her friend’s insistence, Juice couldn’t rest. Her body screamed for it and yet all she could do was pace back and forth gradually getting more paranoid and restless. Kiara had stayed with her:she knew what was going on better than anyone. Juice alone was a recipe for disaster, someone had to keep an eye on her and without Lemon around that duty fell on her.<br/>
Kiara had managed to get Juice into her bed, though she laid staring at the ceiling with a grim expression before the tears started coming again. </p>
<p>“Kiki, what if she’s dead?” Juice spoke up, her voice a whisper from the crying. Juice felt weak, lying there doing nothing other than crying. She was powerless, too weak to find the person who probably needed her. Kiara saw her spiralling again, and pulled the smaller fairy into her chest and tried to reassure her.</p>
<p>“You know Lemon, she couldn’t be. She wouldn’t let that happen would she? We’ll be able to find her, someone around here will know tracking magic and we can get her back. But you’ve got to rest. You can’t find her without resting, you can barely speak right now.” Juice just hummed in response, burrowing her head into her friend's shoulder. </p>
<p>She wanted to believe it but the bad feeling taunting her never disappeared. Even if she was exhausted, she had no energy left to search and had no choice but to rest no matter how much she didn’t want to.</p>
<p>“Can we go find someone early tomorrow?” </p>
<p>“Of course! We can go early, we’ll find her. She has to be fine Juice, you would have felt something if she wasn’t. There's no way you two aren’t connected.” That seemed to put Juice’s mind to rest for a little while longer, the blonde dozed off soon after but her panic never fully settled. </p>
<p>Kiara hated seeing her like this, a vulnerable Juice meant something was truly wrong. She knew there was more than what she was saying, it was torturing her too but she was trying her best not to let it show. Juice couldn’t handle being away from the pixie very long, she was driven almost insane by all this but still tried to keep herself together around people until she broke.</p>
<p>They’d find Lemon, if not for her own safety then for both of them to have eachother once more. </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>
  <i>Pain, her body was burning. She wanted to scream but no words came out. Juice felt the weight of the world crushing while she was paralysed against it. </i>
</p>
<p> <i>Voices. They were speaking lowly, planning something she couldn’t quite make out. They were going to do something to her, she could feel it. A kick hit her ribs as if they were poking a dead animal with a  stick. It hurt, but she couldn’t let out a sound. They left soon after as she caught something of it not being worth it right now. </i> </p>
<p>
  <i>She could feel the wind, the grass uncomfortable under her and itching at her bare arms. It was freezing, and yet the most peace she’d had in a little while. The forest’s trees were peaceful, rustling in the wind. It almost felt like everything was fine. </i>
</p>
<p>  <i>Then the burning came back. </i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Juice shot up. Something was pulling her out of her room. It dragged her out the nearest window before Kiara got a hold of her hand.</p>
<p>“Juice! What are you doing!” She screamed, but the noise barely registered in the blonde’s mind. She had to go and nothing would stop her. Something was calling out to her. Someone was.</p>
<p>Lemon was alive, but she wouldn’t be much longer if she didn’t do something.</p>
<p>“Lemon.” Juice mumbled, stumbling out of the grip to grab her sword before turning back to the ajar window. Kiara protested but she couldn’t hear most of it. She was out, flying faster than she knew she could. She was getting Lemon no matter what. </p>
<p>It was hopeless to stop her, Kiara could only watch as Juice soon disappeared from view. Going alone was a horrible idea, though she was too far to follow. Kiara sighed, knowing she’d had to add another to the missing list. Why did it have to be Juice? Why Lemon? </p>
<p>---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Juice felt the frozen wind assaulting her, fighting her for daring to fly so fast. It didn’t hurt, the adrenaline pumped through her too fast to feel much of anything right now. She had something else to focus on.</p>
<p>There she was, the sight made her stomach churn. Lemon was curled up on the ground, as if she’d been hurt and was trying to stop any more pain. There was a group of people behind her, voices hauntingly familiar. They looked down at the pixie, prodding at her before laughing at the helpless mess she’d become. </p>
<p>It was when one of them kicked her in the stomach that something inside her broke. Nothing. No more thoughts, no anxiety, no fear. Just the pure anger, her life’s worth of pent-up frustrations and hurt, everything mixed together. It would feel horrible and overwhelming any other time but now she was void of anything other than rage. If they were going to hurt Lemon then there was no reason to spare them. </p>
<p>The sight of a flying sword-weiding creature sent the humans stumbling back to avoid a stab. It didn’t stop Juice, and she flung herself to the side, wings pushing her further than they could run. It was a short-lived game of cat and mouse, the predator catching her prey with ease. She felt an urge to toy with them, enjoy the suffering of people who tormented someone so sweet and innocent. </p>
<p>They had to pay, that was all she could think about. Making them suffer one way or another. She saw such genuine fear in their eyes— a fear for their lives.</p>
<p>Good. </p>
<p>Her attention was fixed on the leader, a scrawny man who was stupidly confident about who he was facing. The others had scattered, trying to stay near their group but fearing what Juice was capable of. </p>
<p>Her sword did the talking, pointed at his throat. It was hard to get a word out when someone had you seized up with magic, a sword dangerously close to you.</p>
<p>“I’m going to make myself clear. You’ll live if you leave and never come back. If you don’t, I’ll kill you here and now.” looking her in the eyes, the human gulped. He’d never seen so much fury in a person sounding so blankly calm. He could only huff, not wanting to reply at first.</p>
<p>That was enough, Juice’s sword moved from his throat, slicing a light cut in his arm, watching the blood trickle down her sword with an emotionless gaze. She moved it back to the neck, eyes glowing with fury as she pressed it bluntly into him.</p>
<p>“Did I make myself clear?” </p>
<p>“Yes! We’ll leave and never return, don’t kill me!” For all his prior aggression, the man quivered under the blonde’s venomous glare. She let him go to see him and his minions retreat. Part of her wanted to see them all sprawled out, dead on the floor for what they’d done. But that wasn’t how to deal with conflict, and it would end badly if Lemon saw something that gruesome. </p>
<p>Lemon. The realisation of where she was hit Juice like a truck. She was still curled up, staring at with Juice as if she’d been the one she threatened within an inch of her life. </p>
<p>“Lem?” She tried to keep her voice soft, not to shock the poor thing. Lemon looked up at the voice. She could barely feel her body, she’d seen everything but it felt like a desperate dream. She didn’t believe Juice was there. How could she be? After everything. She was there. It was over. It didn’t feel real but the arms wrapped around her waist tethered her back to reality.</p>
<p>It was real. It was safe. It was Juice. </p>
<p>Lemon crumbled in her arms, finally feeling everything trickle out of her. All the pent-up anger, sadness, hopelessness. It all flowed out in tears she didn’t realise she was crying until her body began to quiver with sobs. </p>
<p>Juice just held her, wishing she could soothe the emotions but knowing it needed to be let out.</p>
<p>“I missed you so much, you’re safe now, I promise.” Juice’s voice cracked, holding Lemon was making her tear up but she needed to hold it together to make sure she was alright. Even through the darkness, she could feel the bruises all over her body. </p>
<p>“Juicy.” Lemon whimpered, her words muffled from where her head was burrowed into her shoulder but the sound of her voice sent waves of calm through Juice. Lemon slowly stopped crying, nowhere near talking just yet but able to pull back from her shoulder and look Juice in the eye.</p>
<p>The burning hadn’t left. Juice felt something, it was on Lemon’s wrists, it burnt into her skin and hurt more than anything she’d ever felt. Then she noticed the handcuffs, the shine of them made it clear they were silver. No wonder she was in so much pain. </p>
<p>The fairy made the mistake of grabbing it, hissing in pain as she pulled her hand back. Lemon stared at her, terrified and not quite understanding what had just happened. </p>
<p>“I’m fine, I just need to get these off you, okay?” Lemon nodded slowly, eyes not leaving the blonde.</p>
<p>Using her hand to steady herself and keep the cuffs in place wasn’t ideal but she could deal with the searing pain. It didn’t take much for her sword to cut through them, finally freeing Lemon from the pain and giving her a bit more clarity on what was going on.</p>
<p>“Juice, are we going to go home?” Lemon glanced up, meekly squeaking out the question with an almost soundless voice. </p>
<p>“Yeah, we’re going home. I’ll get something to support your wrists and tomorrow we’ll get you properly bandaged up. It’s all over now, I promise.” </p>
<p>“It’s over. You’re here, you came.” Her voice was clearer now, sounding as if Lemon were reassuring herself of everything that had happened. She leant into Juice for support as they stood up, far too weak to do much herself. </p>
<p>The fairy scooped her up, holding her to her chest as she flew back to Lemon’s house. The familiar scenery would keep her calm, neither of them could deal with people just yet. She got Lemon into bed easily, the pixie quickly starting to fade from consciousness as Juice wrapped a shirt around each of her wrists to stop them from getting hurt on anything else. </p>
<p>Just as she felt herself start to doze off, Lemon poked her. </p>
<p>“Hold me? Please.” </p>
<p>Juice shuffled closer, pulling Lemon into her arms. It wasn’t the first time they shared a bed, it wasn’t weird. Juice couldn’t leave her alone like this, holding her to make her feel safer was what they both needed. </p>
<p>She was scared for what would happen when Lemon processed all of this, it was going to be hard for her to deal with everything. Juice swore to herself then and there, no matter what she wasn’t letting Lemon leave her side. They would deal with it all together. </p>
<p>She couldn’t lose her again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>come say hi on tumblr if you wanna i'm @winterboxx</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>like it? comment mayhaps, im also on tumblr @soulfulwinter if you wanna say hi or follow me, i post other things too and wips when im working on fics :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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